Line cooks at highest risk of dying from COVID: UCSF study

 According to a new UCSF study, food and agricultural workers are at the highest risk of death from COVID-19 among working age Californians. The study, which analyzed deaths of essential workers between ages 18 to 65, found line cooks to be at the highest risk of all, more so than packaging machine operators, construction laborers and even nurses.

When Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that the state would be shifting its vaccine rollout to an age-based system, some worried that this meant restaurant workers would no longer be prioritized. However, as a California Department of Public Health spokesperson confirmed to the San Francisco Chronicle, this is not true — restaurant workers will be categorized under “food and agricultural workers,” an essential group that should be next in line for the vaccine.

The results of the UCSF study underline the importance of prioritizing cooks and other food workers for the vaccine: While working adults saw an overall 22% increase in deaths during the pandemic, food and agriculture workers saw an even more devastating increase of 39%.

Jobs associated w greatest risk of death during pandemic in CA?

Cooks
Packaging machine operators
Agricultural workers
Bakers
Construction workers
Production workers
Sewing machine operators
Shipping clerks

Full list in new preprint @UCSF_Epibiostat https://t.co/FGtLWaHFHB pic.twitter.com/PSBwU99hxA

— Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo (@KBibbinsDomingo) January 22, 2021

And while cooks have the highest "risk ratio for mortality," with 828 deaths between March and October of 2020, other food-related jobs were also found to be in the top riskiest channels of employment. Agricultural workers and bakers ranked in the top five, with chefs/head cooks and bartenders following close behind.

"Though non-occupational risk factors may be relevant, it is clear that eliminating COVID-19 will require addressing occupational risks," wrote the authors of the study. "... As jurisdictions struggle with difficult decisions regarding vaccine distribution, our findings offer a clear point of clarity: vaccination programs prioritizing workers in sectors such as food/agriculture are likely to have disproportionately large benefits for reducing COVID-19 mortality."

https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Cooks-restaurant-workers-risk-death-COVID-UCSF-15905789.php